The bill, SB1560, requires all school districts to provide screening in grades 3 through 12 at least once a year.

Illinois has become the first state to offer annual mental health screenings to public school students in grades 3-12, in partnership with psychiatric hospitals, with the goal of shifting from crisis reaction to prevention.

Pritzker said it’s important to overcome the stigma around getting help for mental health issues and to treat mental health as a priority, like physical health. Illinois schools already offer screenings for vision and hearing problems and require students to have physical checkups with their pediatrician.